Saturday, September 06, 2008

Faina's Scarf and other things

Dallas is on blog hiatus right now which means I can sneak in and brag about her when she isn't looking.

I was poking around in the hall closet yesterday, dreaming of the moment when the leaves start changing color and I can drag out scarves and sweaters and fingerless gloves. You know: all the stuff that makes a knitter's life worth living.I found the first multidirectional scarf I ever made: a sad narrow little excuse for a scarf with missing fringe and good intentions.

I found the trigger finger mittens (just typing "trigger finger" unnerves me!) I made by combining Elizabeth Zimmerman's Norwegian mitten pattern with web instructions on adding the index finger then copying a pair of gift mittens for the design. Who knew I could be that resourceful? Unfortunately they are big enough to fit hands five times the size of mine. I'm thinking about steeking them and turning them into fingerless mitts. If you have any suggestions (or really big hands) please share!

And then I found the fabulous baby camel scarf Dallas knitted for me a few Christmases ago. The pattern is Faina's Scarf and to say I absolutely adore it is to laughably understate my feelings. I'm one of those unfortunates who can't bear wool next to my skin. I turn into a red, itchy, miserable bundle of humanity. But baby camel is deliciously soft and gentle and apparently allergen-free. At least free of allergens that make me crazy. The pattern looks uncomfortably complex to me but the finished product is fabulous in every regard.

8 Comments:

I am currently working on a Pirate and a knit felted Moose. (I knit toys for charity). I also have the Beehive stole on the needles, and I started a pair of Bayerische socks. However, having just been told that I'm going in for surgery on the 15th (I have a large hernia-ugh!) my powers of concentration have been thrown out the window (I'm anxious), so today I'm going to dig out a skein of Opal and knit some socks in an easy pattern, like garter rib. Something I can do without having to think about it. I'll attack the more complicated stuff while I'm recovering.

Gosh, how do you guys have so many projects going without losing track of what your'e doing? I'm such a single-minded knitter. When I have TWO projects in progress it's unusual.

Barbara, your projects are amazing, as always! I adore the Faina Scarf. Do you know if it's hard to make? I was thinking of trying my Quiviuk on it (since I'm never knitting another Mobius Scarf again as long as I live.)

I'm actually playing with my Gameboy more than knitting right now. But I've been spindling and working on finishing Vintage (in the middle of the second heel turn) and working also on the second pair of Nora Socks - Nora is a 5-year-old who dyes the yarn and gives me two skeins so I can knit one for me and one for her mum. She has lovely taste.